Frederick Hodges performs the "Blue Grass Rag"@ WCRF 2007

[Squarerig]

Please allow me the one question.Has there ever been a piece of piano music that even the Master of all Masters,such as Mr.Hodges,cannot play?Or is there no such word as Can't in the great players' vocabulary?

[hdksr2]

Hodges makes great use of the middle pedal to sustain theupper notes on those rich tenths to form delightful countermelodies in the tenor range, a technique that has sadly been forotten by most pianists today. Thanks for sharing Frederick's wonderful playing with the world!

[borsaland]

Frederick abi süpersin Türkiyeden sevgiler kardesin Ramazan

[tdub1941]

Thanks for you comment.

Happy Holidays,

RagJazzMonkey

Tom Warner

[borsaland]

Frederick abi süpersin Türkiye'den sevgiler

[KawhackitaRag]

I hope to post a video of my own rendition before too long. For those interested, the score is available in the 1997 Dover folio "Ragtime Jubilee".

[KawhackitaRag]

I've been playing this rag for years. and I add all kinds of things to it, despite the difficulty of the published score (unusual because most rags and novelties of this period were simplified, even most of the rest of Straight's published rags). This is a great rendition... I notice the added harmonies, the 3/4 hemiola in the trio, and the quotes from "Nola" and Ed Claypoole's "Changes", which make this version distinctive.

[ghostgal30e]

Never get enough ragtime. keep them coming.

 G.G.

[HarborGuy]

This guy is great I think he has a "real" feel for the music......

[sunshinecapers]

This is 'Blue Grass Rag' by none other than the inventor of novelty piano - Charley Straight(contrary to popular belief, Zez Confrey did not invent the novelty style - he developed it and became well known for it). This piece was originally released with a different A-strain as "Miti-Nice Rag"...

Thanks for catching this amazing video - Frederick never ceases to amaze me with his player piano style renditions of rags..

[tdub1941]

Yes, what a tremendous job Frederick does with all of the complicated melodies he plays.

Thanks for this info. I'll post it up in the writeup!

Tom Warner